5 Benefits of Wearing Mouth Guards for Contact Sports

5 Benefits of Wearing Mouth Guards for Contact Sports

Nov 01, 2021

Each year, about 5 million teeth are dislodged due to contact sports trauma and injuries. Injuries suffered during sports contact can have adverse and long-term consequences. Keep in mind that oral injuries go beyond teeth loss. It can cause damage to soft mouth tissues or even worse, cause jaw injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and neck injuries. These can limit your ability to participate in your favorite contact sports ever again.

For these reasons, if you or your family members are active in sports or other physical activities, a mouthguard can come in handy. If you need help choosing a mouthguard, you should visit your dentist for recommendations.

What is a Mouthguard?

Most sports-related injuries can be avoided by wearing a mouthguard. A mouthguard is a dental device worn over the teeth to reduce the impact of contact sports accidents. Not only does a mouthguard protect your teeth, but it also protects your head against impact blows to the jaw, which can result in loss of consciousness or concussions.

Mouthguards should be worn by athletes active in high-impact sports such as basketball, boxing, football, field hockey, lacrosse, gymnastics, ice hockey, rugby, racquetball, skateboarding, volleyball, soccer, wrestling, and skiing.

3. Types of Mouth Guards

When choosing a mouthguard for contact sports, you have three primary options to consider. These include:

  1. Stock mouthguards – These are the cheapest and most readily available mouthguards. They are pre-made and available in various sizes. However, since they are pre-made, it isn’t easy to find a perfect fit. Wrongly fitted mouthguards can harm your teeth and gums and affect your ability to breathe or speak properly. This can significantly affect your performance during sports. For these reasons, stock mouthguards are only recommended for occasional use.
  2. Boil-and-bite mouthguards – Like stock mouthguards, boil and bite mouthguards are pre-made. However, they provide a better, tighter, and safer fit than stock mouthguards. These mouthguards come in one size, but you can customize them to fit your teeth perfectly by boiling and biting down on them.
  3. Custom mouthguards – These mouthguards are more expensive, but they are the most effective option for athletes active in high-impact sports. The dentist uses impressions of your teeth and mouth to create a personalized mouthguard. If you have dental restorations such as bridges and braces, the dentist takes impressions around them to ensure a precise fit.

It’s worth noting that mouthguards for children must be replaced as they grow.  Mouthguards wear out or weaken with time, which can compromise protection. Therefore, mouthguards must be replaced after some time to ensure maximum protection.

5 Benefits of Mouthguards

A mouthguard is a vital piece of equipment when it comes to protecting your mouth. Sports guards can:

  1. Protect Your Teeth

Protection against teeth damage is one of the key benefits of wearing a mouthguard during contact sports. Broken, chipped, fractured, or knocked-out teeth are the major injuries sustained during sports. Mouthguards protect the teeth against injury.

  1. Protect Your Dental Restorations

You should be extra careful during contact sports if you have dental restorations such as dental crowns, braces, and bridges. Damage to these restorations can hurt your mouth and cause the need for expensive replacements or repairs. Wearing a mouthguard will reduce the impact during an accident, protecting your dental work from damage.

  1. Protect the Soft Tissues in Your Mouth

Protecting your teeth and dental work prevents damage to other parts of your mouth, such as the lips, gums, cheeks, and tongue.

  1. Prevent Serious Injury

Apart from protecting your teeth and dental work, wearing a mouthguard can protect you from serious injuries during contact sports. Investing in a quality mouthguard can absorb a blow to the jaw, preventing fractured jaw, concussion, neck injuries, and cerebral hemorrhage.

  1. Save You Money

In the absence of a mouthguard, your teeth and dental restorations are more likely to break, chip, fracture, or fall out. You can also get deep cuts or bruising on the tongue, lip, cheeks, and gums. Protecting your mouth, head, and neck will prevent the need for complex and expensive treatments, saving you thousands of dollars.

Final Verdict

A properly fitting mouthguard protects you from head, mouth, neck, and brain injuries without affecting your performance. If you’re interested in mouth guard services, contact Wellesley Dental Arts to book your appointment today.

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